Union fans brought near-record audience for MLS Cup game
PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) -- Saturday was a busy sports day in Philly, and fans who tuned into the Major League Soccer final in English and Spanish almost broke a decades-old record for views.
Viewership of Los Angeles FC's victory over the Philadelphia Union on penalty kicks in the MLS Cup final Saturday was the second highest in the league's 27-year history for combined U.S. viewers.
Saturday's game averaged a combined 2.155 million viewers on Fox and Univision, a 38% increase from the 2021 final between NYCFC and the Portland Timbers, which also went to penalty kicks.
It was the second-most watched club soccer match of the season by English-language viewers in the U.S. at 1.487 million, trailing the May 28 UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid (2.76 million).
The Univision broadcast in Spanish averaged 668,000.
English viewership was fifth all-time for an MLS Cup and second-highest in Spanish.